The British vote to quit the European Union has frozen long-term policy planning at the European Commission, which is unable to make contingency plans for the UK’s exit until it receives formal notice of Britain’s intention to leave the EU.

The UK is a full member of the bloc – with all rights and obligations – until it finally leaves the EU. Before that can happen, the British government must trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

EU sources said that it was impossible to draft contingency plans or changes to flagship policies because of the Commission’s post-Brexit fatwa on talks with British officials.

EurActiv.com asked the Commission about the impact of Brexit on the long-term planning of major policy initiatives such as the Energy Union, Capital Markets Union and Digital Single Market.

“We will not speculate on any likely impact of the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union for as long as we don’t receive an Article 50 notification,” said Commission Chief Spokesman Margaritis Schinas yesterday (30 June) in response.

“All the issues that pertain to the impact on specific policy portfolios would have to be dealt with le moment venu [when the moment comes] and of course under the condition that first we receive Article 50 notification.”

“No negotiation without notification,” said Schinas, “No negotiation of any kind before notification of Article 50.”

Frozen planning

“We can’t draft changes because we don’t know what the Brits want and we will only find out when negotiations begin after Article 50 notification,” a source said. “So we are in a kind of stasis.”

UK Prime Minister David Cameron had said before the referendum that he would trigger the clause at the European Council meeting after the vote.

Instead he resigned after the referendum result, leaving the trigger-decision to his successor. Cameron’s replacement is expected to be in place by 9 September.

British Prime Minister David Cameron was forced to deny the United Kingdom had collapsed “politically, monetarily, constitutionally and economically” last night, after his final summit with EU leaders before the UK leaves the bloc.

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Ah well. As President Juncker so helpfully reminded us (to the fury of much of UK) ‘There can be no democratic choice against the European treaties’

No doubt he is delighted to see that, as ever, we Brits are complying fully with the law..

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Richard Burnett-Hall

05/07/2016 13:07

The Article 50 notice procedure is not sufficiently spelled out in the Lisbon Treaty, and this creates an impasse. Once notice is given, there are only 2 years to reach a deal. Without a deal or an extension of time (which has to be agreed unanimously by all remaining EU countries) the UK must then be thrown out to fend for itself, and Heaven knows what would actually happen in that event. So as soon as the UK gives its notice the EU negotiators have every incentive to delay things until the 2 years are nearly up to put pressure… Read more »